Energy Update: Week of June 22

Friends,

Happy Summer Solstice.  I celebrated watching this year’s “first leg” of the Triple Crown.  While the 4-5 favorite Tiz The Law won, it was an exciting Belmont Stakes and played out pretty much as I expected, with Tap It to Win leading all the way into the stretch only to be run down by Tiz and Dr. Post.  Unfortunately, my wheel bet with Pneumatic and Tap was foiled by Max Player’s late charge to Show (3^rd).  So while picking the Win-Place exacta and other straight bets won me enough to be satisfied, if Max wouldn’t have rained on my parade, I might be retiring right now (I know a number of enviro activists were hoping for that, but unlucky for all of us).  Well, there always the Derby next in September, yes September!!!

Late Friday, a federal judge in San Francisco denied efforts to block implementation of new EPA’s new Clean Water Rule, allowing it to go into effect today after last minute efforts by enviros and states to block it.  At the same time, another Federal judge put it on hold in Colorado.  Sounds like we will be hearing more on this.  If you need help, sorting it out, my colleague Ann Navaro is an expert in the subject matter, so let me know.

Oil demand seems to be recovering according to a pair of monthly reports last week from API and IEA.  This week we may see more when API releases its weekly inventory data tomorrow and DOE releases its weekly figures on Wednesday. US GDP and jobless data, both due Thursday, should also provide another look at the status of our economy with COVID-19.  Finally, watching closely for RFS RVOs which may land either this or maybe next…Magic 8-Ball says “Better not tell you now” three straight times. 

On the Hill, there was big news last Friday when House Approps Chair Nita Lowey said House appropriators will launch a marathon of subcommittee markups on fiscal 2021 spending bills on Monday July 6th followed by full committee markups and consideration of subcommittee allocations on July 9th.  Meantime, the House will turn to infrastructure and more pandemic stimulus even while policing reform bills continue to soak up most of the legislative/media oxygen before slipping away for July 4th recess.

For hearings, Senate Energy digs into critical minerals Wednesday while Senate Ag looks at legislation aimed at climate change and agriculture.  House Science looks at R/D on COVID and air travel tomorrow.

Finally on Wednesday, the Nuclear Energy Institute holds is annual state of the Nuclear Energy Industry 2020 discussion virtually at 10:00 a.m. featuring the annual outlook from NEI head Maria Korsnick.  There are also two policy panels, one moderated by our friend Rich Powell from ClearPath and an interview of Sen. Joe Manchin conducted by BPC's Jason Grumet.

Primaries in NY, Kentucky and Virginia are tomorrow.  Green activists are hoping to gain some momentum by defeating longtime Democratic Rep and House Foreign Affairs Chair Elliot Engel (in AOC fashion), as well as knock off favored KY Senate challenger Amy McGrath with Charles Booker - winner takes on Mitch McConnell.  Other open seats include replacing long-time NY Reps. Jose Serrano, Lowey and Peter King; and a potential rematch looks likely in VA Beach with Rep. Elaine Luria and former Rep. Scott Taylor, who is looking to reclaim the seat he lost to Luria in 2018.

That’s all for today, call with questions, stay safe & healthy. 

Best,

Frank Maisano

(202) 828-5864

C. (202) 997-5932

FRANKLY SPOKEN

“The uptick in demand associated with the gradual reopening of state economies leads us to be cautiously optimistic that the worst may be behind us.”

API Chief Economist Dean Foreman on the release of API’s latest Monthly Statistical Report which said US petroleum consumption rebounded by about 2 million bpd in May.

ON THE PODCAST

Bracewell Podcast Talks Politics with National Journal Expert – On this week’s Bracewell Lobby Shop Podcast, my colleague Liam Donovan hosts a discussion on politics and elections with Josh Kraushaar, National Journal’s Senior National Political Columnist and hosts the weekly Against the Grain podcast. Liam and Josh dive into interpreting recent polls, how current events are/are not impacting various candidates, who Biden could pick for VP, and much more. The latest episode of The Lobby Shop is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play Music.

FUN OPINIONS

Former Rep Wynn: Municipal Natural Gas Bans Hurt American Consumers – In an opinion piece in Bloomberg Insight, former Democratic Rep. Albert Wynn, now a strategic adviser for the Growing America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN) Coalition, says while many families are tightening their budgets to deal  with the economic effects of the pandemic, natural gas is part of the solution because of its affordability. He says state policy makers should follow the lead of states that have passed laws barring local governments from prohibiting new natural gas hookups. The former Maryland Rep. and leader in the Congressional Black Caucus says “this should not be a partisan issue, but advocates for natural gas bans support these municipal policies, so consumed with their ideological opposition to the use of fossil fuels that they fail to see the impact on the very people they claim they want to protect.”

FROG BLOG

Energy Central Post Undercuts Heat Pump Efficiency, Cost Case – In a post on Energy Central, EiD writes natural gas is and has been fundamental to emissions reduction efforts in the US.  The take down recent reports from the Rocky Mountain Institute that have argued on their pro-electrification policy fight that residential electric heat pumps are more efficient and environmentally friendly than high efficiency natural gas furnaces. Yet, despite every energy source having benefits and challenges, RMI falls short in explaining some of the downsides of electric heat pumps, which often times require power fuels by natgas, underperform in drastic weather (hot/cold) and have varied actual savings depending on input fuels.

IN THE NEWS

Energy Advisor Advanced to NEC – The White House announced today that energy adviser Francis Brooke has been appointed as the deputy director of the National Economic Council.  Brooke started at the White House in 2018 working on energy, infrastructure and environmental policy. Prior to that, he had been a policy adviser for Vice President Mike Pence and worked for Senate Majority Leader McConnell.

Valero Promotes Key Execs – Top independent refiner Valero Energy has promoted our friends Jason Fraser and Rich Walsh.  Fraser, currently general counsel, takes the Chief Financial Officer position starting July 15^th, when current CFO Donna Titzman retires from the company. Walsh, currently deputy general counsel, will take Fraser's place as GC on the same date. Fraser has served in multiple roles since that time, including as a senior vice president overseeing everything from public policy to investor relations and as president of the refiner's European commercial operations. Walsh oversees Valero's litigation, regulatory and employment law departments. In addition to being promoted to general counsel, Walsh will add the title of senior vice president.

EIA Says Crude Hits Lowest Production Since 2018 – The Energy Information Administration say late last week that U.S. crude oil production hit its lowest point since March 2018 during the week ending June 13 - dropping 600,000 barrels per day to 10.5 million bpd - while stockpiles rose to a record high of over 539 million barrels. Imports remained steady, though imports of Saudi oil are expected to taper off in the coming weeks.

IEA Looks for Strong Oil Rebound by 2021 – Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency released its monthly oil market report which said demand for oil will rebound in 2021 by a record 5.7 million bpd, despite 2020 demand dropping by an estimated 8.1 million bpd. The agency also cites producer supply cuts as a factor propping up the global oil industry, saying "the market will be on a more stable footing by the end of the second half" of this year if demand sees a resurgence and if oil-producing nations uphold their planned curbs on production.

API: May Monthly Stats Report Shows Signs of Recovery – In the US, American Petroleum Institute's latest Monthly Statistical Report said US petroleum consumption rebounded by 14%, or about 2 million barrels per day in May, marking the largest monthly rise since December 1975. Motor gasoline accounted for more than 80% of the demand increase with monthly deliveries surging nearly 29% to 7.3 mb/d after reaching a multi-decade low in April. Demand for distillate fuel and liquid feedstocks also notched monthly increases, while jet fuel posted its fifth consecutive monthly decline and reached its lowest level since 1967. On the supply side, reduced drilling activity led to a 0.6 mb/d decrease in U.S. crude oil production which averaged 11.4 mb/d in May. By contrast, U.S. natural gas liquids production held relatively steady at 4.8 mb/d, down 0.8% from the month prior. These production decreases correspond with a record fall in U.S. drilling activity, which has declined 70% year to date in response to the unprecedented and abrupt decline in demand.

Reps. Introduce Labs Legislation – On Thursday, Idaho Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson introduced the Integrated Energy Systems Act of 2020, which would increase research and leverage the resources and expertise at our National Laboratories (including Idaho National Laboratory), the Department of Energy, and our higher education institutions. This House bill is the companion to Senator Risch’s bill, the Integrated Energy Systems Act (S. 2702)

ON THE SCHEDULE THIS WEEK

MOST EVENTS SCHEDULED ARE NOW ONLINE WEBINARS

Bloomberg Sustainable Biz Summit – The Bloomberg Sustainable Business Summit in London originally schedule for today and tomorrow will be rescheduled for fall of 2020. Please check this page for updates.

Atlantic Forum to Look at Aviation Fuel Policy – Today at 4:30 p.m., the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center hosts a conversation with Fred Ghatala, author of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s report, “Sustainable aviation fuel policy in the United States: A pragmatic way forward,” and director for carbon and sustainability at Advanced Biofuels Canada.  Rep. Rick Larsen will deliver opening remarks for the event which will focus on the unique challenges of decarbonizing the aviation sector and opportunities to incentivize the use of SAF through pragmatic, sector-specific federal policies.

Forum to Look at COVID, Security – Today at 5:30 p.m., the Institute of World Politics hosts a webinar presentation on COVID-19 and global energy security with Derek Campbell and Sara Vakhshouri. In this lecture, Vakhshouri will discuss the fundamentals and changes in the energy market, and Campbell will talk about physical security of energy infrastructure and cyber security.

IEA Holds Energy Efficiency Forum – The International Energy Agency will hold its 5^th annual Energy Efficiency Forum virtually tomorrow.  This virtual Conference will be an opportunity to engage in a comprehensive discussion of key issues for energy efficiency with a high-level audience from around the world. This year’s Conference is structured as a set of thematic webinars across the course of the day, allowing people in different parts of the world to participate.

Forum to Look at Renewables in Central America – The Woodrow Wilson Center's Latin American Program will hold a webcast at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow on renewable energy in the Americas and how it can help recover from COVID.  The event will discuss the opportunities for renewable energy in the Americas with leading experts from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

House Science Panel to Look at COVID, Air Travel – The House Science Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee holds a hearing tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. on research and development to support healthy air travel in the COVID-19 era and beyond. Witnesses include GAO’s Heather Krause and Emory’s Vicki Hertzberg.

Forum Looks at Security, Resilience – The Woodrow Wilson Center holds a webcast tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. on "Building Greater Resilience for U.S. National Security," focusing on a "big picture" approach to security that includes pandemics such as COVID-19 and climate change. Former Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo keynotes while the panel includes Stanford Woos Institute’s Chris Field and CFR’s Alice Hill.

Webinar Features Local Officials on Clean Energy – SolSmart host a webinar tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. to provide an overview of the approaches to setting renewable energy goals and processes for identifying the most impactful and appropriate implementation strategies, including considerations related to the COVID-19 crisis. The webinar will highlight case studies from communities that have developed renewable energy plans. Speakers including local official from Idaho and North Carolina, as well as Daniel Falk of the Solar Foundation.

BPC to Look at Direct Air Capture –The Bipartisan Policy Center and Carbon180 hold a webinar on tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. for a first look at the analysis from Rhodium Group that quantifies the significant employment and market opportunities associated with the scale-up of Direct Air Capture. Lead author John Larsen will present their estimates on the number of potential new jobs and other opportunities for growth in major markets like steel, cement, chemicals, electricity, and natural gas resulting from broader DAC deployment. The presentation will be followed by a brief moderated discussion with key stakeholders. Speakers include United Steelworkers IVP Roxanne Brown and Jason Walsh of the BlueGreen Alliance.

NRC to Look at NM Storage EIS – The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a public meeting tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. soliciting comments on a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Holtec International’s proposed Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel in Lea County, New Mexico.  The draft EIS evaluates potential environmental impacts of Holtec’s request to build and operate the proposed CISF.  The NRC staff will present the results of the draft environmental impact analysis and receive the public’s comments on the draft report. 

USEA to Discuss Bangladesh LNG – On Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., the US Energy Assn holds a webinar on LNG issues in Bangladesh featuring Excelerate Energy’s Ramon Wangdi. This webinar will cover the market fundamentals for LNG projects in Bangladesh, the development history of the MLNG project, the unique operating environment in the Bay of Bengal and the technology employed to overcome this environment and a look ahead to future prospects in growing the LNG sector within Bangladesh in the years ahead.

Senate Energy to Look at Minerals Supply Chain – The Senate Energy Committee is holding a hearing on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. looking at the impact of COVID-19 on mineral supply chains. Witnesses include USGS minerals info chief Nedal Nassar, Joe Bryan of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, Umicore’s Mark Caffarey, Thomas Duesterberg of the Hudson Institute and Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Managing Director Simon Moores.

Senate Ag Looks at Farm Climate Legislation – The Senate Agriculture Committee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. in G-50 Dirksen looking at S. 3894, the "Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2020," G-50 Dirksen. Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall will be among those testifying.

NEI Virtual Event: The State of the Nuclear Energy Industry 2020 – The Nuclear Energy Institute holds is annual state of the Nuclear Energy Industry 2020 discussion next Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.  This virtual event includes NEI head Maria Korsnick's annual nuclear industry outlook followed by two policy panels. The first panel features Miranda Ballentine, CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, and Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Rich Powell from ClearPath will moderate a discussion with these two clean energy leaders. The second panel will feature Sen. Joe Manchin interviewed by Bipartisan Policy Center's Jason Grumet.

Renewable Conference Set – The American Solar Energy Society hosts its SOLAR 20/20: Renewable Energy Vision on Wednesday and Thursday as a virtual conference.

IEA, EPRI Look at COVID, Recovery – On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., EPRI will hold a Washington Seminar—co-hosted by the International Energy Agency (IEA)— that will feature EPRI and IEA leaders discussing the electricity sector’s response to the pandemic, business and environmental impacts, and opportunities for a sustainable recovery from COVID. 

Web Event Look at a Decarbonizing Energy – Power Magazine hosts a forum on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. on decarbonizing the energy sector is challenging. It involves implementing new technology and hitting aggressive targets and timelines.  This session will explore how utilities, system designers, and equipment suppliers view the evolution of the hydrogen economy as it concerns the power industry.

Forum to Look at Batteries – The Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and Geotech Center will hold an engaging public panel discussion event on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. looking at the future of battery technology and energy storage in the contexts of the clean energy transition, geopolitics, and coronavirus. Global Energy Center senior fellow and Bloomberg reporter Akshat Rathi will moderate the discussion. Solid Power CEO Doug Campbell and BloombergNEF head James Frith are among the panelists.

Forum to Talk Transportation with Former DOE Official – OurEnergyPolicy holds a webinar on Wednesday at Noon on energy independence.  Yossie Hollander, in conversation with formers DOE official Karen Wayland, discusses global oil markets, how we power the transportation sector, and America's goal of energy independence.

Forum to Look at Ocean Energy – The World Resources Institute holds a web forum on Wednesday at Noon looming at ocean-based renewable energy. This webinar will feature the latest Blue Paper commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. This scientific paper suggests that rapid decarbonization of the energy system will not necessarily require metals to be mined from the deep seabed in the near future. Cost-effective technologies that use less metal or alternative materials can be made available if investments are made in their development and if such investments are combined with a switch to a circular economy. The paper’s authors and other experts will discuss which actions will enable governments, businesses, communities and NGOs to ensure that the scaling up of ocean-based renewable energy does not come at the cost of damaging unique ocean habitats that we know little about or the achievement of a sustainable ocean economy.

House Judiciary Look at DOJ to Focus on Auto Emissions Fight – The House Judiciary Committee holds hearing on oversight of the Justice Department in CVC-200 at Noon.  Part of the hearing with focus on the battle over auto emissions and back-and-forth between DOJ and California.

McCarthy Join Aspen Forum – On Wednesday at Noon, the Aspen Institute’s Energy Environment Program for “Innovators in Health & Climate” hosts a virtual exchange conversation between former EPA head Gina McCarthy, current NRDC President and Aspen’s Elliot Gerson. The discussion will focus on the intersections between climate change and health, with a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cities Talk Climate – The National League of Cities hosts a web event on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. with elected leaders from sister cities Ann Arbor, USA, County Durham, UK, and Tuebingen, Germany as they discuss their efforts to advance climate action and achieve a just transition to carbon neutrality. This webinar will feature short presentations from each of the communities, followed by a short facilitated question and answer session and a longer open question and answer session with the audience.

AV Summit Set – The Information holds its 2020 Autonomous Vehicles Summit on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. This is a one-of-a-kind virtual conference for autonomous vehicle industry leaders. In previous years, the summit has drawn participants from top companies including Waymo, Uber, GM/Cruise, Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Volkswagen, Daimler, Toyota, and SoftBank. It's a must-attend event for operators, investors, suppliers, and policymakers in the field.  The Autonomous Vehicles Summit features a mix of fireside chats and topical panels hosted by The Information's Amir Efrati. Lots of time is set aside for Q&A with attendees. This year, the event will look into more discussions around efficient capital allocation as companies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

USEA Policy Forum Postponed, Event on Cyber – The US Energy Assn has delayed its annual membership meeting and public policy forum originally set for Thursday to a future time in the fall.  Meantime, they will hold a webinar at 11:00 a.m. on building blocks to support cybersecurity in the power sector.  The event is the second in the Digitalization and Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector series. The webinar, presented by NREL’s Maurice Martin, will also highlight new work planned through USAID to support developing countries in designing and implementing cyber security measures.

Forum to Look at Fuel for Advanced Reactors – ClearPath Foundation and the Global America Business Institute (GABI) are hosting a virtual workshop on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. on developing fuels and materials for advanced nuclear reactors. ClearPath’s Nuclear Program Director Niko McMurray will be moderating the panel.  Speakers include NRC’s Kim Webber, Idaho NL’s Kevan Weaver, and Argonne Labs’ Dave Grabaskas and Jordi Rogland-Ribas. 

Forum to Look at CCS Drivers – The Global CCS Institute holds webinar on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. looking at the drivers of current CCS project development.  Speakers include DOE’s Lynn Brickett and Cali Resources Corporation EOR/CCS manager Ken Haney.

RFF Launching Series on COVID Electricity Use – Resources for the Future (RFF) is launching a new webinar series highlighting emerging research on COVID, the power sector and the US economy in this area. The first of these webinars will be Thursday at 11:00 a.m. featuring Steve Cicala, assistant professor in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Dr. Cicala will be presenting his research, recently featured in the New York Times, on changes in electricity use in the United States over the course of the spring.

Forum to Look at Resilience, Extreme Weather – The Environmental Law Institute and leading experts will hold a forum on Thursday at noon to explore these questions and dive into extreme weather adaptation and resiliency efforts in the United States.

AC Forum Look at Sustainable Aviation Fuels – The Atlantic Council continues its EnergySource Innovation Stream forums with an on-line event on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. focused on sustainable aviation fuel.  Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will play a role, alongside other solutions, to keep planes moving with a much smaller carbon footprint and less pollution. Pratik Chandhoke, Technical Manager for Renewable Aviation in North America at Neste, will discuss Neste’s SAF production process and how Neste’s Renewable Jet Fuel can help to decarbonize air travel, reducing GHG emissions up to 80% compared to fossil fuels. He will walk through the entire value-chain: from raw material collection, through processing and distribution and explain how Neste recycles the leftover carbon molecules found in waste and residue materials—such as used cooking oil, rendered fats and grease—into 100% renewable biofuels that share similar chemical properties to fossil jet fuel.

Forum to Look at Renewable Biodiesel Successes – The Renewable Energy Group hosts a forum on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. to look at biodiesel.  Biodiesel has traditionally been blended with petroleum diesel. Recently, some forward-looking organizations have been using 100% biodiesel, known as B100, to take even greater advantage of the environmental benefits of biodiesel. It is being done with a simple, affordable piece of technology that allows medium- and heavy-duty trucks run on B100 while still having access to petroleum diesel should they want it. City leaders from Ames, Iowa and Washington DC will discuss the success of their B100 fleets. 

IN THE FUTURE

Forum to Look at Energy Efficiency in Past Stimulus – Next Tuesday June 30^th at 10:30 a.m., EE Global Forum hosts an on-line event looking previous stimulus packages passed in 2009 to counter the effects of the economic slowdown. In this webinar, experts from both continents will reflect on the role of energy efficiency in these packages, the legacy of the stimuli on efficiency and our energy systems today, and lessons learned for governments and the private sector around the world as we plan for stimulus and recovery investments. Speakers include our friend Lisa Jacobson of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy as well as Stacey Paradis of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance and National Association of Energy Service Companies head Tim Unruh. 

WCEE to Look at Corporate Climate Risks – The Women’s Council for Energy and the Environment (WCEE) holds a discussion on Tuesday June 30 at Noon with experts on industry climate objectives to discuss how corporate climate commitments and plans for climate-related risk management will evolve (or not) as a result of the pandemic and its market and operational impacts. Speakers will include API’s Lauren Coughlin and BP’s Heidi Keller.  

GTM Hosts Solar Discussion – Greentech Media hosts a webinar on Tuesday June 30^th at 1:00 p.m. where Wood Mackenzie research analysts will focus on global solar PV markets and supply chains in the time of coronavirus. Solar analysts forecast a tough couple of years ahead as we navigate the economic downturn, but the fundamentals still look very strong.

VA Renewable Conference Set – The Virginia Renewable Energy Alliance will host the first LEAD Series Conference of 2020 on Tuesday June 30^th at 1:00 p.m. This LEAD Series Conference this June will serve to provide policy updates and a 2020 General Assembly Debrief on noteworthy policy updates directly impacting development of Renewable Energy in Virginia.

Forum to Look at Net Metering, Grid – The R Street Institute will hold a web forum on Tuesday, June 30^th at 3:00 p.m. on “net metering” programs that allow consumers who self-generate electricity to receive credit for any excess power they generate that goes back onto the grid. State jurisdiction over such matters has long been recognized. Recently, however, FERC have been asked to assert exclusive jurisdiction over consumer self-generated electricity sales, preempting state net metering programs and leaving millions of current customers in a maze of regulatory uncertainty. R Street has gathered a distinguished panel of experts to discuss this important topic and the implications of the issue for the broader electric market.  Speakers include Arkansas PSC Chair Ted Thomas, Landon Stevens of the Conservative Energy Network and R Street’s Chris Villarreal. 

Forum to Look at COVID, Climate, Sustainability – On Tuesday June 30^th 3:00 p.m., Foreign Policy magazine and the Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University hold a Zoom forum to explore the surprising links between the coronavirus, climate change, and inclusive governance.

WRI to Look at Climate, COVID Recovery – The World Resources Institute holds a forum on Wednesday July 1^st at 9:00 a.m. focused on the COVID-19 and climate crises. During this event, speakers will showcase concrete opportunities for policymakers to use nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies to accelerate recovery from COVID-19 and protect people from the alarming consequences of climate change.

Energy Economists Hosts Venezuela Expert – On Wednesday, July 1^st at 1:00 p.m., the US Energy Economists hold a forum with Risa Grais-Targow, director of Eurasia Group, is going to explain recent developments for Venezuela’s energy sector. Risa is responsible for the firm's coverage of Venezuela, Ecuador, Central America, and the Caribbean. She has also worked for U.S. Department of Treasury, Alcoa Inc., the Albright Stonebridge Group, the Institute of International Finance and Dow Jones Newswires. She holds a master's degree in international economics and Latin American studies from Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

USEA Cyber Forum Look at Cost Benefits of Digitization – The US Energy Assn will hold a webinar at 9:00 a.m. on utility digitization strategies and roadmaps for the power sector.  The event is the second in the Digitalization and Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector series. The webinar will help utilities learn about global trends in digitalization including identification of digitalization priorities for power utilities, get an understanding of key technologies and the major cost benefits, and learn what digital utility leaders are doing and how you can apply their strategies to your business.  BloombergNEF’s Claire Curry is the speaker.

WRI Event to Look at Ocean Issues to Address Climate, COVID – On Thursday July 2^nd at 9:00 a.m., WRI holds an ocean forum on the case for the ocean as a dual solution to climate change and COVID recovery.  A report commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) shows that ocean-based climate action can play a much bigger role in shrinking the world’s carbon footprint than was previously thought. Participants in this event will include the report’s authors and experts, government members of the Ocean Panel and new private sector partnerships aimed at delivering on the potential of ocean-based climate action.

Forum to Look at Clean Trucking – The GreenBiz Group is hosting an on-line forum looking at clean trucks on Thursday July 2^nd at 1:00 p.m. This webcast will dive into trucking’s role in our supply chain, how it has evolved since March, and how the industry will evolve into its green future. Our friend Katie Fehrenbacher moderates a panel with speakers Mike Roeth at the Rocky Mountain Institute, UPS’s Patrick Browne, Shell’s Greenlots CEO Andreas Lips and truck driver John Vesey.

July 4^th – Saturday, with Federal holiday on Friday July 3^rd. 

House Approps Launches Funding Push – The House Appropriations Committee is planning to hold a marathon of subcommittee markups on fiscal 2021 spending bills beginning on July 6^th, followed by full committee markups and consideration of subcommittee allocations on July 9^th.  Look for action on Interior-Environment and Energy-Water subpanels will hold their markups on July 7^th with the full committee reporting both bills on July 10^th.

MIT to Look at Low Carbon Scale Up – On Monday, July 7^th, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Energy Initiative is hosting a webinar as part of its energy innovation series at 10:00 a.m. focused on scaling up low-carbon energy.  The event will featured experts looking at the economics, geopolitical, and environmental impacts.